January 2016 — Property Management Quarterly —
Page 21
details that drive value still
left to be resolved. For exam-
ple, the proper selection of
which LEED credits to pursue
will have a dramatic effect
on the return on investment
of the project as a whole. An
individualistic approach and
leveraging your platform,
combined with passion and
creativity, will unlock those
hard-to-reach, final few per-
centage points of return.
The reality is that the boots
on the ground overseeing
the daily implementation of
the business plan will have a
dramatic effect on whether
or not an investment in
an asset will be successful
or a complete failure. This
fact places a large burden
squarely on our backs, but
it’s a burden that property
managers are more than
willing to shoulder. Taking
the time upfront to properly
align your people, partners
and processes will have sub-
stantial rewards. While a lot
of this may seem straight-
forward, it is extremely hard
to implement as bullets are
whizzing overhead.
s
cialize in assessing, repair-
ing and maintaining parking
structures should be able to
create a good, long-termmain-
tenance plan for your garage,
but quality and completeness
can vary. Ask around and get
recommendations before
establishing a long-term rela-
tionship with an engineering
firm.
The implementation of a
complete and well-designed
maintenance plan is critical to
prolonging the life of any park-
ing structure and maximizing
the effectiveness of water-
proofing elements. If you own
or manage a parking garage
that does not follow a proac-
tive maintenance plan, one of
the most fiscally responsible
priorities for the new year
would be to begin the process
of interviewing qualified struc-
tural engineers and getting a
quality maintenance plan in
place for your garage.
s
required to move the ser-
vice to avoid cancellation
fees. Prospective tenants
will want to know before-
hand if the building will
allow new providers or will
continue only with existing
vendors.
Does the building have a
standard entrance agree-
ment?
When allowing new
providers into the building,
prepare a standard entrance
agreement. This can reduce
or eliminate delays and
allow early client access to
a space when bringing new
providers into a building.
Who manages the riser
system in the building?
The
riser system distributes the
provider services from the
main demarcation room
to the rest of the building.
There are advantages and
disadvantages to using a
riser management company
versus managing it yourself.
Understand that the riser
system is the backbone
to the technology of your
building and a clean, orga-
nized riser and demarcation
room shows tenants that
property managers under-
stand technology needs and
are equipped for the future.
Is the space equipped with
wireless access points?
Many businesses prefer
buildings with strong Wi-Fi
capability; the better to
serve their customers. Wi-Fi
access throughout build-
ings has become a strong
customer preference for
many tenants. If your build-
ing does not have dedi-
cated Wi-Fi access points
throughout the building,
consider adding them in the
main lobby of each floor to
allow customers of tenants
to stay connected, providing
a better overall experience.
Does the building use dis-
tributed antenna systems?
End users grow frustrated
quickly with poor cellphone
coverage and properties
without strong cell coverage
may discourage custom-
ers from returning. A DAS
boosts coverage and is an
important option for many
clients. You can work with
a DAS provider to keep your
tenants connected and
happy.
In order to achieve and
understand all of these
requests, it is wise to
partner with a technol-
ogy adviser. Understand-
ing your building and the
technology available will
help ensure prospective and
present tenant satisfaction.
However, poor or mistaken
information can lead to bro-
ken leases and lawsuits. By
partnering with a trusted
technology adviser, you
avoid related legal prob-
lems, position your property
to showcase its high-tech
advantages and meet your
client’s business needs.
s
phone conversation with a
fiber infrastructure provider.
“They don’t want to pay;
they want to pass the fees
off to the tenant,” she said.
“That’s not fair. They’re my
tenants, and I’m not going
to give this company some-
thing that is at the expense
of my tenants, even if the
tenant agreed to pay it.”
The native Iowan’s loyalty
extends to her team as well.
The day porter has worked
with Nienkerk for five years,
moving properties with her
several times. “I look out for
her and make sure she goes
with me because she’s part
of my team,” Nienkerk said.
Nienkerk attributes a lot
of her success to the con-
fidence her employers and
clients have instilled in her.
“I’ve been empowered by my
employer to figure it out and
get things done,” she said.
“Them having that trust
in me makes a difference.
I have a lot more freedom
than I would at most com-
panies.”
She’s most proud of her
ability to adapt and stay
focused, while being pulled
in three different direc-
tions at one time, she said.
And her positive attitude
undoubtedly helps her suc-
ceed. “I can’t think of one
thing that I have to do that
I hate, or else I wouldn’t
be doing it,” she said. “It’s
really fun. I get exposed to so
many things I would never
do if I had a different job.”
Lowe Enterprises encour-
ages a strong work-life bal-
ance, which Nienkerk is
thankful to have, she said.
In addition to running a
household of six, Nienkerk
does the accounting for
her husband’s residential
remodeling business. And
as self-proclaimed dog lover,
she recently began foster-
ing dogs from a local rescue
operation.
“I was a little scared to
get a dog again because you
never know with dogs and
kids, so I said we’d foster
one, but ended up with two,”
she said. “For a while we
had one group right after the
other. It’s pretty addicting.”
One of the pups in the
third group, a mutt named
Tank, found a lasting spot in
the Nienkerk family. “I fall
in love with all of them and
cry every time I have to give
them up, but it gets easier,”
she said. “It’s a really great
way to help dogs and real-
ize if you’re ready to have
one.”
s
Value
Parking
Technology
Nienkerk
Bandwidth Type
Available Speeds
Digital subscriber line (DSL)
1.5 Mbps up to 40 Mbps
Coax cable
10 Mbps up to 150 Mbps
Microwave wireless
10 Mbps up to 1 Gbps
Fiber
10 Mbps up to 10 Gbps
Know your available Internet speeds
